A babka is like challah dressed up for a black-tie event. It is rich and glamorous with swirled layers of filling and a syrup-enhanced shine. This Jewish dessert is so decadent that it often only comes out for special occasions. This babka is filled with the flavors and gooey-ness of pecan pie just in time to start dreaming about your Thanksgiving spread. The dough itself infuses this recipe with the flavors of early Native American cooking from cornmeal and a molasses and maple syrup glaze.

It’s probably a bit of a stretch to call these borekas because I originally introduced them to my readers as one of our favorite savory Turkish bites. And it’s not every day you think of sweet borekas. Truth be told, I am a savory lover at heart. But this once city girl, who now lives […]

Breakfast is one of my favorite meals because every dish has a comfort food vibe. For Yom Kippur, I love preparing a “break fast” meal with some family favorites like noodle kugel and bagels and lox. We make dishes that are easy to digest and gentle on the stomach after a day of fasting. I also […]

This recipe contains alcohol and is for those of legal drinking age only. Introduce your loved ones to good ol’ fashioned Manischewitz, and reinvent the Jewish holiday staple into the dessert it was always meant to be. This way, you can avoid getting any looks that say “You drink this stuff?” or, “Is this what […]

Aside from the smell of tuna fish, nothing can really transport me to a New York Jewish deli like a black and white cookie. Just the mere sight of of the cookie transports me to a Shabbat luncheon in which I’m elbow-ing the person to the left and right of me (and sometimes behind me) in an […]

I grew up with Easter baskets, but I didn’t grow up “celebrating” Easter by any means. When I visited dad’s house during Easter time, though, my stepmother would have beautiful Easter baskets prepared for my brother, myself and of course, my half-sister. If you follow me on my blog, Jewhungry, then you know I am […]

Purim is one of the most accessible Jewish holidays to celebrate. Like Halloween, a big part of it is dressing up and being silly. (All-night reading of The Scroll of Esther and lots of drinking are the other parts.) Unlike Halloween, there’s a beautiful part of Purim that involves the giving of gifts to friends […]

Valentine’s Day. How does this fit into a Jewish or interfaith home? Technically, yes, Valentine’s Day is named for a saint. It was first instituted by Pope Gelasius I in 496 C.E. to commemorate the martyrdom of St. Valentine. Yet scholars know almost nothing about this St. Valentine. There is an abundant amount of literature on St. […]

Valentine’s day is fast approaching, but we believe in celebrating big love, little love, silly love, happy love, sad love and family love any day of the week. In our diverse Jewish, multi-faith community, it’s important to show our love for one another, and take advantage of opportunities to spread kindness. This quick and easy chocolate […]